Andrew Valencia hopes to inspire upcoming Latino filmmakers

When Andrew Valencia was a kid, he was fascinated with TV shows and the entertainment world. He loved it so much that at a young age he began performing in school musicals, which led him to become an actor, filmmaker on and well-known producer in the media industry. 

Valencia has always been inspired by television series like the Power Rangers and Beetle Borgs. As he grew older, he was inspired by “The Simple Life,” “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “Ugly Betty” and “Jane the Virgin.” “These shows played a huge role in my upbringing, whether I saw my self in Betty’s queer nephew or in Paris and Nicole at work. Relating to these characters inspired me to choose this career. You never know how you might positively impact a viewer’s life,” said 30-year-old Valencia.

The most unique aspect about Valencia is how far he’s come in these past ten years of his career since he graduated from the Los Angeles Film School. One of his most memorable moments in was when he covered his first Academy Awards event. Among Valencia's inspirations is Lady Gaga, who was also at the film awards show.

“I was very inspired by, you know, Lady Gaga growing up and watching her from ‘The Fame’ being her first album, her first studio album that was like mainstream because we all know Stefani Germanotta has been doing music since before that,” Valencia said. “Being able to follow Lady Gaga's career and being there for the time that she won her first Oscar and being able to hear her Oscar speech live with my own two ears, I think, was probably the most magical experience ever in my career so far. Her speech just spoke to my soul about all the hard work, dedication and sacrifice that it takes, in order to make art, create art and be an artist.”

To Valencia, that was the most inspiring moment of his career. “I got to hear Lady Gaga kind of like, vicariously tell me that, I was deserving of this; everything just felt right, literally fighting tears. I was like, Oh my God, I can't believe I'm here,” Valencia said.

He also told CALÓ News that, as a queer member of the Latino entertainment industry, he hopes to inspire other individuals pursuing a career in the media. “Regardless of who you are, regardless of the color of your skin, regardless of your culture, we all deserve a chance to work in this industry and we all deserve the recognition that we deserve,” Valencia said. “I want more representation and I am to help create more for our representation.”

He also believes that it's very important that Latinos start telling their stories, whether they're in TikTok or YouTube videos. “ I think there's a lot more that we can represent in order for people to heal and grow and, you know, educate other Latinos that aren't probably first generation or, you know, aren't accustomed to these cultures of first generation parents.”

Valencia works closely with the Imagen Foundation, where he volunteers every year to help out with their annual Imagen Awards. “The foundation has definitely been super helpful to me, exposing me to these networking opportunities of being able to meet other Latinos in the industry that are telling these stories,” Valencia said. “The Imagen Foundation helps a lot of Latinos, but I would love to see more Latino initiatives from the studios or production companies.”

As a dedicated professional, Valencia has demonstrated experience in the entertainment industry with a focus on production and talent management. He has worked on several seasons of "The Kardashians” on Hulu and most recently “The Roast of Tom Brady,” a Netflix special.

Even as someone like Valencia who has been in this industry for years, he still sees barriers and challenges faced by Latinos. “I don't want to speak for every Latino in the industry when I say this but I want to speak for myself. When you are in these big rooms with these larger-than-life people you sometimes get insecure and I suffer from imposter syndrome. Where sometimes, you're tired or you're sad or life is getting to you, you sometimes think, ‘Oh my gosh, do I deserve to be here and you know, am I good enough to be here?’ And then, you have these crazy thoughts about, ‘Oh my God, what if it's over?’” Valencia said.

For the producer, it has been one of his biggest challenges to deal with imposter syndrome but he is learning to cope with that one day at a time, especially with some of RuPaul’s advice and telling himself that those thoughts aren't real and that it’s just fear trying to throw him off the rails. “When you are in rooms like the Oscars or  on these TV sets where there's a list of talent, you just always want to be aware of how you present yourself and it can add a little bit of pressure, but stand up straight, suck it in, smile and have a great time. That's my motto,” Valencia said.

He also said that it’s important to have a solid foundation for emotional support. “Taking care of your mental health in this industry is also very important. Like I couldn't do that without my mom. My mother is my rock and she always keeps my feet planted 10 toes on the ground at all times,” he said. “Also, my father came from Colombia and I would not be here doing what I do today without him and his support.”

Valencia gave some advice for those who want to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. “I say do it, but you have to stay consistent, you have to stay strong and you have to keep your head up at all times because it's not always going to be a win,” Valencia said. “There are times where you get those W’s and you get those wins and it's like, ‘Oh my God, you're at the Oscars or you're working for the Kardashians now,’ or it's like you get these moments of awe where it's like, wow, this is amazing, but sometimes it's not always that and people need to understand that sometimes it gets tough and you have to get tougher and keep smiling.”

Valencia told CALÓ News that he loves everything he does for the industry and he looks forward to doing more work for the Latino community. “Collaborating and creating and producing is definitely what's on the menu,” Valencia said.